Kingdom Relations budget 2016: Almost $9 million for Integrity Chamber

POSTED: 09/18/15 12:50 PM

THE HAGUE – The budget for Kingdom Relations in 2016 is €257.5 million, far below the €392.6 million the Kingdom made available this year. This appears from chapter 4 of the national budget of the Netherlands that Finance Minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem presented to parliament in The Hague yesterday. The budget show that the ministry will contribute €7.8 ($8.8) and €7.7 ($8.7) million over the next two years on St. Maarten’s Integrity Chamber.

The huge difference between the 2015 and 2016 Kingdom Relations budget stems from a €129.6 million loan Curacao obtained for the construction of a new hospital and for infrastructural projects.

In 2017 (€292.8 million) and 2018 (€268.4 million) the budget will increase again, but in the two years thereafter the Dutch government projects a dramatic drop to €124.1 and €123.2 million respectively.

Spending on the guarantee function stood at €62.6 million this year and will increase to €70.3 million next year. In 2017 the budget for this function remains stable at €70.2 million and in the three years thereafter it will drop to €61.6 million.

The increased budgets for 2016 and 2017 are linked to the establishment of the Integrity Chamber in St. Maarten. Next year Kingdom Relations will therefor contribute €7.8 million and in 2017 €7.7 million.

For the promotion of the autonomy of the Kingdom partners there was still €329.8 million available this year, but for the next five years this budget item has been brought down to zero. The budget item is linked to the debt relief program and associated interest charges the Netherland assumed from Curacao and St. Maarten.

For the promotion of the economic structure, the budget reserves €14.6 million in 2016, €14.4 million in 2017 and €13.3 million in the three years after that.

On current subscriptions and loans the Dutch government will spend €149.9 million in 2016; in 2017 it goes up to €187 million, to drop to €172.4 million in 2018 and to €28.5 million in 2019 and 2020.

Cost for the Kingdom Relations organizations hover around €20 million.

Bonaire, Saba and Statia received €33.4 million from the BES-fund inn 2016. In 2017 the islands receive €32.8 million, in 2018 €32.7 million and in 2019 and 2020 €32.8 million.